1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to protective feet for tubular legs in general and more particularly to an articulating foot for use on walkers.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Many elderly individuals and in some instances younger people who have certain disabilities are unable to walk unassisted. They require assistance from either a health care professional or from a mechanical device to provide them with added stability. These mechanical devices range from a simple cane to motorized wheelchairs depending on the severity of the individual's infirmity. One of the most common mechanical aids is a walker. A walker in its simplest form comprises a pair of inverted U-shaped metal tubes that are laterally spaced one from the other and connected at one leg of the U-shape.
In use, the user's hands grasp the upper portion of the U-shaped tubes to provide stability while standing. When the user desires to walk forward, the individual first moves the walker forward and then while using the walker for support, walks forward to stand between the U-shaped tubes at which time the process is repeated until arriving at a desired destination. Each bottom end of the tubes is usually covered with a rubber cap, also known as a foot or glide, to provide stabilized support and to resist slipping on smooth surfaces. The glide also prevents scratching of the floor that would occur from uncovered metal tubes scraping along the surface. This configuration requires the user to lift the entire walker off the floor surface to move. Walkers can be configured in a number of different ways to ease use. Some walkers are equipped with front wheels to assist in moving the walker forward without the need to completely lift the walker off the floor.
For the individuals who lack the strength or endurance to completely lift the walker during a walk, often the resilient glides at the bottom of the tubes are drug along the floor surface causing rapid wear. This wear is frequently combated by placing tennis balls over the bottoms of the legs which also allows the feet of the walker to slide over the floor surface without undue wear on the rubber feet. Even when the user is able to repeatedly lift and place forward the walker, the motion is usually in an arcuate motion such that placement of the walker legs results in only an edge of the rubber foot supporting the leg of the walker. This also causes premature wear of the glide on the walker legs and results in less than optimum stability for the user.
Thus, what is desired is an articulating glide for a walker that adapts to a leg contacting the floor in other than a right angle and prevent undue wear of the foot and to provide maximum traction to prevent undesired slippage of the walker in use.